Trimmer for strip and scrap cutter

Abstract

A trimming apparatus for metal strip has trimming heads on opposite sides of a turntable along each edge of the strip so that the trimming heads can be rotated into the trimming position or into the maintenance and blade-replacement positions. On each of the turntables as well a scrap-strip cutter is associated with the respective trimming head and the scrap-strip cutters are disposed diagonally opposite one another across the turntable and each trimming head and its scrap-strip cutter on one side of the turntable is connected to a clutch half on the opposite side of that turntable so that the scrap-strip cutter and the trimmer are driven by a common drive.

We claim:  
     
       1. An apparatus for trimming strip and cutting trimmed scrap comprising respective side trimmers flanking a path of strip to be trimmed, each of said trimmers having: 
       a support shiftable transversely to said path;  
       a respective turntable on each support rotatable about an axis perpendicular to a plane of said strip;  
       respective diametrically opposite trimming heads on each turntable rotatable on said turntable about said axis between a trimming position wherein one of said heads is positioned to trim said strip while the other of said heads is located at a readiness position enabling blade maintenance, the trimming head on one side of said axis being aligned with the trimming head along and on an opposite side of said axis along a diameter of the respective turntable; and  
       respective scrap-strip cutters spaced from the respective trimming heads in opposite directions, but on the same sides of the axis as the respective trimming heads and said scrap-strip cutters being further diagonally across from one another on the respective turntable so that the trimming heads and their respective scrap-strip cutters are located on opposite sides of a median plane through the respective turntable and are displaceable between said positions by rotation of the respective turntable through 180°, said scrap-strip cutters receiving trimming waste from the respective plane.  
     
     
       2. The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , further comprising a respective drive string for each of said turntables oriented at an angle of 180° in a plan view of the respective turntable and selectively engageable with oppositely positioned drives for each trimming head and the respective scrap-strip cutter for driving the heads and the cutters. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus defined in  claim 2  wherein all of said trimming heads and said scrap-strip cutters of a respective turntable are received in a common housing. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus defined in  claim 1  wherein each of said trimming heads has a respective rotatable lower blade and a respective rotatable upper blade, at least one of said blades being driven. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus defined in  claim 4  wherein at least the lower blade of each of the trimming heads and the respective scrap-strip cutter have a common drive. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus defined in  claim 4 , further comprising means for adjusting the spacing between said turntables to set a given trimmed width of said strip between inner edges of the respective upper blades. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus defined in  claim 4 , further comprising means for adjusting a cutting gap between cooperating edges of said upper and lower blade of each of said trimming heads. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus defined in  claim 4  wherein a mean distance A from the respective trimming head to the respective scrap-strip cutter is smaller than 2½ times the blade diameter of the respective trimming head. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus defined in  claim 1  wherein said scrap-strip cutters have respective blades with an adjustable cutting gap.